Basic Illustrated Archery Book

Looks at Herrigel's Art of Archery and Ryoanji rock garden, and at the post World War II attribution of "zen-ness". The criticism seems reasonable and even handed. As a person, Herrigel seemed to bend the truth, and his Nazi involvement is detailed. But this isn't an ad hominem attack, or attack at all, but a look at the myth construction. Kyudo is a sport (like judo or kendo) derived from a war art. I think it's interesting and there is much to learn from its tradition, and its principles of breathing and body alignment, but contrary to Herrigel, these guys want to hit the target.

Herrigel didn't master the bow in the three years he studied once a week. His knowledge of Zen is peripheral -- reading only. He didnt go to the temples or meditate. His kyudo teacher wasn't a priest. The "doctrine" is teacher Awa's personal philosophy. But this is the zen that Americans knew in the 60s.

Coincidentally, Zen in the Art is featured in a segment of "Know Thyself" Coursera course I have been taking, and it is lovingly quoted in several lectures. My own martial arts training in the 70s had some of the "it hits" philosophy that Shots in the Dark criticizes, and I took the stories of Herrigel's cheating at being adept as cautionary. The actual shot in the dark, when the teacher puts one arrow through the shaft of another arrow in the target, seemingly without looking, is featured in Clavell's Shogun. It is all bound up with an idealized image of Japan, those wonderful,folks who brought you Pearl Harbor ( and the Bataan death march).

Zen is cool.

But doing is long, while reading about it and telling neat stories is so much better.